Immersion
by spyder-m
Summary: After visiting the arcade with Makoto more often, Ren begins to notice the moves she does in battle seem to take inspiration from the games they play. Written for Day 6 of Shumako Week 2020: Video Games.


A/N: This story references Makoto's Showtime attacks in the Royal. If you're someone who has been avoiding trailers and wants to go in completely blind, you might want to give this a miss.

* * *

Immersion

Makoto grit her teeth, readjusting the white-knuckled grasp she'd locked around her weapon as she ducked down, trying to recuperate.

The attack had taken them completely by surprise; a swarm of enemies ambushing both her and Ren while their guard was down. Their numbers were too great, and in the ensuing chaos, they'd been separated from one another.

As their strategist, Makoto felt a burden of responsibility; that she should have some advice or words of encouragement to help them out of this plight. Especially seeing as, while she was pinned behind cover, Ren was still fighting. Valiant, as always.

Makoto growled, desperate to help. Yet, every time she so much as lifted her gaze slightly beyond the threshold, her head was narrowly grazed by a spray of bullets.

She flinched and pulled back, knowing that she couldn't afford to take another hit.

Still, Ren couldn't have much left in him. She noticed, even fleetingly, the weariness and pained expression settling across his face; weakness he didn't usually let show easily.

Makoto was caught between the natural instinct to keep herself from harm and her desire to protect and fight alongside him; two urges struggling to pull her down different paths.

But now was not the time to deliberate. They were losing time and she needed to act.

Determined, Makoto lifted her weapon and stormed out into the fray.

.

With the last sliver of her health bar fading away, Makoto lowered her gun, pouting as the 'game over' screen flashed before their eyes.

She turned to Ren, visibly disappointed, who stifled a chuckle; not wanting to hurt her feelings. Though her reactions weren't as vocal as the time first time they'd played together, it was still adorable to watch her become so immersed in a video game.

"Not bad," He said, their final score rising through the ranks. "We held out much longer that time."

While Ren seemed cheerful in defeat, the loss weighed heavily on Makoto's mind; shaken by the very real threat that the game had presented.

Even though their party was much larger, they could still be outnumbered just as easily in the Metaverse. If it was a strategy that an AI programme could mount against them, then shadows could surely do the same.

She would have to come with a countermeasure they could employ if such a situation faced them.

From his periphery, Ren noticed Makoto's hand touching her chin, a sign she was lost deep in thought. Her face relaxed as he cleared his throat, pulling her back to reality.

"Want to go another round?" He asked, nodding towards the cabinet.

"No. I think I'd like to try something else," Makoto answered, locking the gun back into its stand and glancing over the throng of machines surrounding them.

She held a soft spot for the Central Street Arcade.

It was the first place she and Ren had hung out together and quickly became something of a sentimental, date-night favourite for them.

It also didn't hurt that, upon doing research, Makoto found that there actually a number of benefits to playing video games. They helped hone reflexes, hand and eye coordination and could even make one more adept at problem solving; all skills that would greatly benefit them in the Metaverse.

She had especially developed a fondness for the MotoGP racing games. Still without a motorcycle license, it was the closest she could come to recapturing that liberating feeling of riding Johanna; without the added distraction of shadows or palace infiltration.

As tempting as it was to play again, Makoto wanted to try something different. Particularly, after they had fallen short in their last round of Gun About.

After their first trip had helped her devise new tactics and approaches to battle, she was enthusiastic to find what other potential inspiration could be waiting for amongst the myriad rows of games.

Perhaps one of them could offer insight into how to help sway the flow in battle in their favour.

Makoto was fascinated, wandering between the different consoles. The brightly flashing lights, the whirring of mechanics, the clash of different jingles and sound effects resonating over one another in an effort to catch her attention.

She wasn't entirely she was searching for, but sensed that something would strike her as interesting.

Fortunately for her, she didn't have to go far.

"Oh? What's this?"

She was first drawn to the gun.

Unlike the futuristic models on the Gun About machines, this looked similar to the revolver she wielded in the Metaverse. Weighing it in her hand, Makoto already felt an affinity for the control, finding it fit comfortably in her grip.

Looking up, her eyes narrowed in on the cross hair, testing her aim on the screen.

While the controls had led her to expect something reminiscent of American Wild West films, she was surprised to find the game portraying gangs of outlaws dressed in leather dusters and bandannas, their faces caked in paint and soot.

They drove around in giant, rusted cars modified with turrets and spikes protruding from the sides; enormous wheels that elevated them several feet off the ground.

It was unlike anything she had seen before.

Were these the "steel horses" referred to in that song Ryuji sung to her?

"Oh that?" Ren stopped beside her. "That's one of those post-apocalypse games."

"I see."

"Want to give it a shot?"

"I- I suppose so."

.

Outside of Futaba's palace, a sprawling, desolate wasteland stretched in every direction. The oppressive heat weighed them down, sand dunes carrying as far as the horizon.

The Pyramid was different from any of the other distortions they'd ventured into. Their presence was not registered as a threat. Their clothes did not transform initially, and the entrance was free of lurking enemies.

Futaba's Shadow had even approached them directly, ordering that they retrieve something from a neighbouring town, something of hers that had been stolen by bandits.

It struck Ren as odd. Was Futaba talking about her treasure? Was this all they needed to do? Recover it from Bandits? They wouldn't have to defeat her, the Palace Ruler. He supposed it made sense that this operation would be different. This was the first time someone had willingly asked them to change their heart.

Perhaps for anyone else, the trip might have posed a risk. The town was miles away, lost amidst the arid desert. But the Mona Bus allowed them to traverse the distance without much difficulty; even if the ride was stuffy and uncomfortable.

Still, the entire situation awoke an unease in Ren. Compared to obstacles they'd been faced with in the past, this seemed relatively easy. Suspiciously so.

It gave him a distinct flashback to Madarame's Palace, when Morgana had tried to nab a treasure left out in the open, only for a blockade of lasers to rise from the floor, separating them. Ren couldn't help but feel these stolen goods were luring them into a similar trap.

That apprehension wasn't without merit, as they encountered a Garuda on the town's outskirts, poised and ready to strike.

It pulled back shortly upon their approach, flapping its wings and steadily building power. Joker's eyes widened before he turned to the others.

"Hold on!" He called.

At their leader's instruction, the party switched into defensive stances, trying to shelter themselves from the shadow's powerful wind attacks.

They grimaced, sand whipping painfully around them in all directions. Their balance almost thrown off by the relentless Magaru spells.

Fortunately, the strength Garuda exhausted with each attack wore it down over time. That was all the chance they needed to retaliate.

"Queen!" Joker instructed, noticing she had been first to recover.

Seeing the break in their foe's attack, Makoto's grasped her revolver. Firing rapidly from the hip, she clipped their enemy's wing. It collapsed against the ground with a pained shriek. Vulnerable, but still far from defeated.

"Skull!" She called, as the shadow was downed.

"On it!" Her teammate yelled back, leaping beside her.

Taking to the air, they disappeared in the cloud of sand they kicked up in their wake; out of the shadow's sight. It scanned the surroundings, desperately trying to gauge where their attack would come from.

As the dust cleared around them, Makoto and Ryuji appeared on the horizon, bathed by the sun's light.

With their masks and dark clothes, the spikes on Makoto's shoulders, and Ryuji resting a bat against his shoulder, they looked the part of wild bandits

Even Ryuji's familiar, cocky smirk, and knowing that they were two of his closest confidants, Ren couldn't help but find the sight of them intimidating. They exuded a threatening aura.

Carelessly waggling his weapon around, and nearly bumping it against Makoto's head in the process, Ryuji taunted the helpless Garuda. His voice trailed off in a faint, pained groan as Makoto; stern as ever; elbowed him in the side, admonishing his childishness.

Clenching her firsts, Makoto charged towards the enemy; crimson eyes narrowed dangerously. Straightening up, Ryuji shadowed closely behind her.

As the two raced upwards, Ryuji swung his bat in a full, powerful extension of his arms. It was there that Makoto landed, the force of his swing propelling her up even higher. She struck hard against the ground on her descent, the earth beneath exploding into a crater of dust and debris.

With a laugh, Ryuji shuffled back up to his feet, hollering in celebration. He lifted his fist up to Makoto, who rolled her eyes with a fond smile, and bumped it.

Ren watched silently as they returned to the group, still processing what had just happened.

"Joker?" Mona looked up.

Startled, Ren's head whipped around, noticing Ann, Morgana and Yusuke's eyes weighing over him as they awaited his next instruction.

Clearing his throat, Ren fought to suppress the flush building across his face; conscious his mask only partially covered it.

"Alright. Let's keep moving."

.

Makoto found herself captivated by the game's open world, relishing being given free rein to explore and uncover each detail of the expansive wasteland.

To her, there was something remarkably freeing about driving through the vast space, uninhibited by roads and rules to follow.

It gave limitless possibilities.

Though, the aesthetics of the game were bleak. That is, at least when compared to some of the Arcade's flashier titles.

It couldn't hold her attention forever and wasn't long before the flashing lights and sounds of the machine Ren played beside her caught Makoto's attention.

Setting down her own controller, she turned towards him.

"What are you playing?"

"This is Water Pro." Ren explained, eyes concentrating on the screen as he mashed out a string of button combinations. "It's a Wrestling game"

From over his shoulder, Makoto looked on, curious.

Though she hadn't really watched wrestling before, she was familiar with some of the more popular names on the Japanese scene. Many of them had made cameo appearances in her favourite movie series, Like a Dragon.

Admittedly, the game's violence was wasn't quite as brutal as what Makoto had seen them endure as Yakuza gang members. Though, the combatants were still performing rough looking strikes and throws on one another.

Their actions seemed to carry a lot more flair.

They walked towards the ring dressed in extravagant costumes, throwing their arms our dramatically in front of the crowd as they were showered beneath a flash of lights and pyrotechnics.

The heroes fought nobly and engaged the audience whenever they were in control, feeding off of their support. While villains would employ under-handed tactics, clawing at their opponent's eyes and pushing over referees to a wash of jeers and boos.

Their presence was eye-catching. They were striking, self-assured and deadly, a combination that reminded her distinctively of Joker.

Judging by the game's retro-style graphics, Makoto suspected much of what she was seeing was exaggerated and not an exact reflection of the real life equivalent. Still, she was captivated by the wrestlers' fighting spirit. Their passion to stand up and continue even while being relentlessly beaten by their opponent.

The different, distinct characters Makoto saw Ren playing as reminded her, in many ways, of the Phantom Thieves.

She supposed it made sense. From what she understood, masks were common in wrestling; particular amongst the Japanese and Mexican styles. They played an important role in its history and often bleed into the way certain wrestlers would portray themselves. Outfits like theirs in the Metaverse, therefore, might not be out of place in a wrestling ring.

It even made Makoto wonder if their battles could take inspiration from wrestlers.

The way they would effortlessly spring through the air impressed her. They performed feats of acrobatics that she could imagine having difficulty replicating; even with her background in Martial Arts.

Though, in the Metaverse they were capable of performing well beyond their usual physical limitations.

Perhaps the idea was more feasible than she'd first thought.

.

Like any luxury cruise ship, Shido's palace boasted premium facilities; plenty to keep his elite guests occupied as they traversed the flooded city.

In their exploration they'd encountered restaurants offering exquisite banquets, bars, a pool, and even a selection slot machines dotted about the Entertainment Hall; though not quite as many as they'd seen in Niijima-san's palace.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, most of the guests seemed to content to crowd around the speakers blaring Shido's speeches.

In Ren's mind, it was a blessing.

The more there was to keep the guests entertained, the more their focus could be kept away from the Thieves storming the ship.

They sought an audience with some of the ship's more esteemed guests, and Shido's trusted allies. Access to the Representative Chamber, where Shido's' treasure lay, was blocked off and anyone wishing to enter needed letters of introduction from the five VIPs on board.

It was for that reason they found themselves breaking into the hotel room of an IT Company President; a man who revealed himself as the culprit behind the fake Medjed's attack.

With the contempt they held for the man spilling over, their identities did not remain secret long. The President's body shifted before them into Oberon, two Scandalous Queens appearing at his side.

Throughout their infiltration of the Cruise Ship, they encountered several powerful enemies and had been routinely swapping out party members to preserve their strength.

Their line-up proved fortuitous when Haru's Mapsio attack pummeled the group, downing the President's two lackeys.

Pressing the advantage, Makoto drifted on Johanna, kicking up a powerful Freidyne spell like rubble beneath the bike's tires. Oberon grunted in pain, as the attack blasted him off of his feet.

"Noir!" Makoto called, landing on her feet her Persona sifted away.

"Right!" Haru nodded.

A ring suddenly manifested before them in an arena crowded with cheering fans. They held signs up for Queen and Noir, confetti raining down from the ceiling like a Tokyo Dome Main event.

The very sight sparked adrenaline through Ren's veins in an exhilarating rush. As though the moment was beyond mere cognition, something he was experiencing in the flesh.

Approaching the ring, Makoto sprung easily over the top, coolly cracking her knuckles. Beside her, Haru stepped between the ropes, seeming slightly more flustered and overwhelmed as she waved to the crowd.

Stopping in the corner, they raised their arms together, smiling warmly to the throngs of fans.

Despite the stark contrast of their outfits, they seemed confident as a unit; ready to stand against even the most skilled Joshi tag team.

This much became apparent when; faster than the flicker of flashbulbs among the stands; Makoto's expression changed and she leapt into action, delivering a left clothesline. Haru quickly followed up, springing off her feet with a picturesque dropkick.

Their offensive flurry had Oberon reeling and Makoto looked to finish the job, grabbing a steel chair and cracking it against the shadow's head.

Their opponent down for the count, Haru and Makoto clambered onto opposite turnbuckles, flipping off and crushing Oberon with tandem elbow drops.

As the shadow's body disintegrated into a black smog, the two posed beneath the blanket of confetti. Makoto flexing her arm menacingly as Haru winked, her fingers folding into the shape of a heart.

Lost among the masses of people, Ren was struck, similarly, by the urge to cheer. Yet, he stood frozen, as if caught in a trance; captivated watching the strength and poise that Queen exuded.

As the surrounding hotel room shifted back to its former shape, Haru and Makoto dusted themselves off, pleased.

Ren turned towards them, a more familiar, confident smirk settling back on his face.

"Nice going; Noir, Queen." He complimented, lingering on Makoto. "Where'd you learn to do something that?"

"Oh," Makoto winked. "I have my ways."

* * *

A/N: The funny thing about Makoto and Haru's Showtime attack is that a few New Japan wrestlers actually made cameos in Yakuza 6, and the Like a Dragon movies Makoto likes are based on Yakuza. Knowing that, I couldn't help but wonder if it was an actual, conscious nod by the developers or just a coincidence.

Either way, I'm taking it as headcanon that that was the inspiration for Makoto and Haru's Showtime.

The game Ren is playing is Fire Pro Wrestling, a popular wrestling series in Japan that features wrestlers from promotions like New Japan and Stardom. The one Makoto plays isn't based on anything specific, but I did have the Mad Max video game in mind. Perhaps with some Borderlands thrown in. I kept it vague though, as I haven't actually played the former.


End file.
